How to Smooth Plastic Surface
Plastic is a versatile material that is used in an endless amount of products in daily life. From vehicles to kitchen utensils, it’s hard to go about your day without encountering some form of plastic. However, plastic isn’t immune to damage or the effects of time, and sometimes these surfaces get scratched or dulled over time.
Figuring out the best way to make these products like new again can be tricky, particularly if you’re used to dealing with larger, more industrial applications. There are some simple home remedies that can help with your smaller projects, but those might not be viable for larger projects. When you need a large area smoothed out, might be beneficial to utilize plastic media blasting, which can ensure the smoothing of the surface is thorough and even.
Plastic Media Blasting
Generally used to remove paint and to refurbishing types of metal, plastic media blasting can also be used to smooth out plastic. This comes from the lightweight nature of the plastic media, which enables it to smooth out the surface without causing much harm or distress to the composite. Plastic media blasting is performed at a process with lower pressure, it’s well suited for projects that need precision while doing minimal harm to the surface below.
Because the lower pressure allows for this more precise work, plastic media blasting is most commonly used in smoothing over large surfaces in the aerospace and automotive industries. It can be particularly useful for smoothing surfaces that require precision for things like aerodynamics and other applications. However, this method of blasting isn’t reserved for projects on that large of scale, as it can be an effective method for smooth plastic on smaller scales, as well.
Other Considerations for Plastic Media Blasting
This type of media blasting is relatively rare, as it’s not generally used as a mainstream media type. However, because of the non-abrasive nature of the process, it can be used for a variety of tasks. Along with helping smooth plastic, the gentle blasting method is suitable to clean surfaces of things like dirt, rust and paint without damaging the underlying surface. This method is also well suited for surface preparation. It can be used to create a clean and roughened texture before painting, coating or bonding.
Along with smoothing plastic, the granular media of plastic blasting can also be employed in the finishing process of composite materials like fiberglass or carbon fiber. Plastic media blasting can smooth out imperfections, get rid of excess resin, and prepare the surface for subsequent treatments or coatings. While other media is mineral-based, plastic is not, so it’s important to use a service that employs responsible media recovery so that it’s not harming the environment.
Plastic media blasting is a versatile method for a multitude of projects, particularly those that call for precise paint removal or the smoothing of a surface. For more information on how plastic media blasting might work for your project – or projects coming up in the future – reach out to the experts at Airblast AFC today.
